66 



MISC. PUBLICATION" 9 0, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



by the skidding out the logs. There are enough trees 12 inches 

 in diameter and over on the ground, however, to assure a second 

 cut in 50 years, and enough seed trees to reseed the openings. As 

 this system is repeated the forest will change its form in that the 

 very large, slow-growing veterans will disappear and the stand 

 will consist of a greater number of smaller, fast-growing trees. 

 (Fig. 36.) 



CLEAR CUTTING 



The other system of cutting used in Utah is called " clear cutting." 

 As the name implies this means the complete removal of all the 

 timber from a certain area. No seed trees are left, and the next 

 stand must be secured in some other way. In applying this system 



■ ■ ■ 



""- " -;--■-- 



\ .* ; 



\. . ^ v \ _ -' \ . ■ • _ >-v'^ ; ~"~~ 





Figure 36. — A forest upon which selection cutting has heen practiced 



to the pine forest of Europe the area is clear-cut when the forest 

 reaches the desired size, and the ground is promptly replanted to 

 the desired species with nursery stock. In Utah this would be too 

 expensive and probably not very successful, because of the difficulties 

 met in making plantations grow in its dry climate. 



Applied to aspen, however, the clear-cutting system proves most 

 satisfactory. The area to be logged is cut clean. (Fig. 37.) The 

 limbs and tops are lopped to get them out of the way and to 

 make them rot faster. The aspen promptly sends up a quanthty 

 of root suckers or coppice sprouts which reestablish the stand at 

 once. It has been found that cuttings made in the spring produce 

 the best sprouts and that fall cutting is preferable to that made in 

 summer. It has also been demonstrated that an adequate growth of 

 aspen sprouts can be expected from stands up to 110 years of age. 



